Published: Thursday, February 14, 2013 at 3:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Wednesday, February 13, 2013 at 11:44 p.m.

NORTHPORT | Tuesday Morning is returning to the Tuscaloosa area along with a pet products store that one Florida newspaper described last year as the top of the line of pet stores.

Pet Supermarket and Tuesday Morning will open later this year in the former Leisure Place furniture store building on McFarland Boulevard in Northport.

Tuesday Morning lost its Tuscaloosa store in the April 27, 2011, when a massive tornado destroyed much of Tuscaloosa, including the Wood Square Shopping Center, where the retailer was located.

Pet Supermarket is new to West Alabama and relatively new to the state. Its closest store is in Vestavia Hills in Jefferson County.

The former furniture store building is being remodeled now, said Gil Sidi, owner of the property. A new facade will be added that will have more windows, giving the stores more open feeling and making them and their products more noticeable to passers-by, Sidi said. The interior of the building also is being remodeled and subdivided.

Sidi said the two retailers will each have about 10,000 square feet of space in the 28,000-square-foot building.

“We have room for an additional tenant and are looking for someone to fill the space,” he said.

Sidi said he has owned the building for about 10 years. The property has been vacant for about 21⁄2 years, when Leisure Place moved into its own building.

“It should be ready to move into in about four to six months,” Sidi said, with the stores likely opening a month or two after the remodeling is completed.

“Pet Supermarket is an incredible company. They are a very sophisticated, a high-end pet shop. They are based in Florida and have more than 120 stores,” he said.

Calls and email to Pet Supermarket headquarters in Sunrise, Fla., requesting comment were not returned,

Pet Supermarket is private company founded about 40 years ago in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., according to a 2012 story in the (South Florida) Sun Sentinel.

At that time the retailer had about 1,400 employees and had $213 million in annual revenue. Its growth strategy is concentrated on opening more

company-owned stores, concentrating on markets in the Southeast.

Diane Holtz, Pet Supermarket's CEO, told the Sun Sentinel that her company is a niche player in a market dominated by giants PetSmart and Petco as well as retailers Wal-Mart and Target.

She said the stores emphasize personal service and pet education. “I really work hard at getting a piece of literature to our store every day, information about products we sell — how to sell a bunny correctly. We educate our employees and remind them of pet facts every day,” Holtz was quoted as saying.

Tuesday Morning is an upscale, discount off-price retailer specializing in domestic and international, designer and name-brand closeout merchandise, according to its website. It has more than 850 stores across the United States.

“We are anxious to have them both here,” said Northport Mayor Bobby Herndon. “I know the ladies — especially my wife — just love to shop at Tuesday Morning.”

During the last five years, Northport has done more to attract retailers, he said.

Several retailers displaced by the April 27, 2011, tornado in Tuscaloosa relocated to Northport. Among them were Hobby Lobby and Big Lots.

More retailers mean more shoppers, Herndon said.

“At one time, people didn't know what Northport had to offer,” he said. “Now, we are drawing people from Tuscaloosa, Tuscaloosa County and other counties to Northport.”

That means more revenue for the city from business licenses and sales taxes but it also is helping to draw other retailers including new retailers like Pet Supermarket, he said.

<p>NORTHPORT | Tuesday Morning is returning to the Tuscaloosa area along with a pet products store that one Florida newspaper described last year as the top of the line of pet stores.</p><p>Pet Supermarket and Tuesday Morning will open later this year in the former Leisure Place furniture store building on McFarland Boulevard in Northport.</p><p>Tuesday Morning lost its Tuscaloosa store in the April 27, 2011, when a massive tornado destroyed much of Tuscaloosa, including the Wood Square Shopping Center, where the retailer was located.</p><p>Pet Supermarket is new to West Alabama and relatively new to the state. Its closest store is in Vestavia Hills in Jefferson County.</p><p>The former furniture store building is being remodeled now, said Gil Sidi, owner of the property. A new facade will be added that will have more windows, giving the stores more open feeling and making them and their products more noticeable to passers-by, Sidi said. The interior of the building also is being remodeled and subdivided.</p><p>Sidi said the two retailers will each have about 10,000 square feet of space in the 28,000-square-foot building.</p><p>“We have room for an additional tenant and are looking for someone to fill the space,” he said.</p><p>Sidi said he has owned the building for about 10 years. The property has been vacant for about 21⁄2 years, when Leisure Place moved into its own building.</p><p>“It should be ready to move into in about four to six months,” Sidi said, with the stores likely opening a month or two after the remodeling is completed.</p><p>“Pet Supermarket is an incredible company. They are a very sophisticated, a high-end pet shop. They are based in Florida and have more than 120 stores,” he said.</p><p>Calls and email to Pet Supermarket headquarters in Sunrise, Fla., requesting comment were not returned,</p><p>Pet Supermarket is private company founded about 40 years ago in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., according to a 2012 story in the (South Florida) Sun Sentinel. </p><p>At that time the retailer had about 1,400 employees and had $213 million in annual revenue. Its growth strategy is concentrated on opening more </p><p>company-owned stores, concentrating on markets in the Southeast.</p><p>Diane Holtz, Pet Supermarket's CEO, told the Sun Sentinel that her company is a niche player in a market dominated by giants PetSmart and Petco as well as retailers Wal-Mart and Target.</p><p>She said the stores emphasize personal service and pet education. “I really work hard at getting a piece of literature to our store every day, information about products we sell — how to sell a bunny correctly. We educate our employees and remind them of pet facts every day,” Holtz was quoted as saying.</p><p>Tuesday Morning is an upscale, discount off-price retailer specializing in domestic and international, designer and name-brand closeout merchandise, according to its website. It has more than 850 stores across the United States.</p><p>“We are anxious to have them both here,” said Northport Mayor Bobby Herndon. “I know the ladies — especially my wife — just love to shop at Tuesday Morning.”</p><p>During the last five years, Northport has done more to attract retailers, he said. </p><p>Several retailers displaced by the April 27, 2011, tornado in Tuscaloosa relocated to Northport. Among them were Hobby Lobby and Big Lots. </p><p>More retailers mean more shoppers, Herndon said.</p><p>“At one time, people didn't know what Northport had to offer,” he said. “Now, we are drawing people from Tuscaloosa, Tuscaloosa County and other counties to Northport.”</p><p>That means more revenue for the city from business licenses and sales taxes but it also is helping to draw other retailers including new retailers like Pet Supermarket, he said.</p>